Refunds of customs duties to be claimed within one year

Refunds of customs duties to be claimed within one year

KARACHI: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has said that the refunds against customs duties would be paid if claims have been made within one year.

The FBR issued Customs Act, 1969 updated till June 30, 2019 incorporating changes brought through Finance Act, 2019.

The FBR explained through Section 33 of the Act that refunds f customs duties would be paid if claims had been made within one year.

Section 33: Refund to be claimed within one year.

Sub-Section (1): No refund of any customs-duties or charges claimed to have been paid or over-paid through inadvertence, error or misconstruction shall be allowed, unless such claim is made within one year of the date of payment.

Sub-Section (2): In the case of provisional payments made under section 81, the said period of one year shall be reckoned from the date of the adjustment of duty after its final assessment.

Sub-Section (3): In the case where refund has become due in consequence of any decision or judgment by any appropriate officer of Customs or the Board or the Appellate Tribunal or the Court, the said period of one year shall be reckoned from the date of such decision or judgment, as the case may be.

Sub-Section (3A): The claim filed under this section shall be disposed of subject to pre-audit within a period not exceeding one hundred and twenty days from the date of filing of such claim:

Provided that the said period may, for reasons to be recorded in writing, be extended by the Collector of Customs for a period not exceeding ninety days.

Sub-Section (4): No refund shall be allowed under this section, if the sanctioning authority is satisfied that the incidence of customs duty and other levies has been passed on to the buyer or consumer.

Sub-Section (5): For the purpose of this section, the Board may, by notification in the official Gazette, specify the jurisdiction and powers of the officers of Customs to sanction refund in terms of amount of Customs duty and other taxes involved.

Section 34: Power to give credit for, and keep account-current of duties and charges.

An officer of customs, not below the rank of Assistant Collector of customs may, in the case of any mercantile firm or public body, if he so thinks fit, instead of requiring payment of customs duties or charges as and when they become due, keep with such firm or body an account-current of such duties and charges, which account shall be settled at intervals of not exceeding one month, and such firm or body shall make a deposit or furnish a security sufficient in the opinion of that officer to cover the amount which may at any time be payable by it in respect of such duties or charges.